Would you like to be a hermit - Here is the job for you

This is no joke, we really do have a hermitage just outside our town of Solothurn, to be found in the St. Verena chasm. It is a very romantic place, something like a small long valley with a stream running through it. I did a blog some time ago about it, just click here.

Our last hermit, brother Johannes, has been living there for 24 years and has now decided to leave. Our local government has now advertised the job as being free. Up to now ten women and seven men have applied. There has never been a woman living there except for the original, called Verena, many hundreds of years ago, so that would be something new. I have often thought how nice it would be to live alone with no interference from housework, or family, but that is just wishful thinking. The life of a hermit is not just doing nothing all day. It was on the news in television what he has to do.

You have to get up about two in the morning and start praying until around four or five o'clock. At six you have to ring the chapel bell. Afterwards you have to visit the church in town. When you return to the hermitage the chapel has to be opened up and the whole area has to be looked after. Perhaps sweep the chapel and clear the leaves away from the statues and polish them up a bit. There are many statues to be looked after. They are also very particular about what sort of people they accept for the job. Up to now they have had applications from a few unemployed (so called dropouts in english), French speaking and German speaking, nuns and monks and even married people, although probably no longer married.

Money: well not really. Your taxes and insurances are paid for and you sort of get pocket money, but you won't get rich, although you do have a very nice house to live in and the surroundings are really wonderful. I would say you should not be prone to rheumatism as it is quite a damp place with the stream running through it.

So if there is anyone looking for a quiet place to live, with no stress, then this is the job for you. Now and again you have to sell a couple of post cards to the tourists that come to have a look, and you do not have to decide what to wear. Up to now it is a long brown robe with a hood. I don't think you get any holidays, just the religious ones, but you have to stay put. There is a restaurant near bye, but I think the idea is to cook yourself. There are all modern conveniences in the cottage.

MULTIPLY Creative Challenge #33: Blossoming - My Apple Tree

You were so small when I first saw you, just a meter high with a few leaves, known as apple tree sapling. You were so young; an apple tree, that had not yet born its first apple, just standing there in the gardening department of a store with a few others: the origin perhaps developing from a pip in the same apple as the other saplings standing with you, one far day before. Your age could not have been more than five years, but you wanted to be taken into a place, in a garden, where you could spread your roots and absorb the goodness of mother earth. Our glance caught each other and I decided you would be mine; my first venture into the unknown world of garden development.

It was the first spring in my new home and my garden was just a small green field of grass, with a few sprigs of clover growing wildly; just to show that the earth was ready and waiting. I took you home with mixed feelings. Would you grow too large for my garden, will I treat you with the affection, respect and love you deserve and above all, will you be visited by pollinating bees bringing the chance of fertilisation, from another apple tree in the neighbourhood? You never did really disappoint, my apple tree, you were always ready for a surprise.

I took the spade and dug a hollow for your roots, I put food into the space in the shape of pellets containing the necessary strength to let your roots spread and absorb the goodness you needed. I surrounded your foundations with earth and looked that you were fitted firmly in the ground. I examined you from all sides and found you were standing proudly in your own place. There were no rivals near to take your nutrition away.

Four weeks nature fed you and gave you to drink through the fresh rainwater pouring down from the clouds. You were thankful and showed your gratitude already in the shape of small buds shimmering with a slight pink outline surrounding the pure whiteness of the interior. I was satisfied and proud that you were making an effort to produce fruit in your first year. However, this was not to be. Your blossoms were discarded a month later and no fruit resulted. I decided to give you a further chance, so I carried on feeding you and letting nature take its course.

The following spring was coming and you were growing, growing too fast. Your trunk was not ready to bear such a weight. I cut your branches at the end of winter, reduced them in size and still you did not complain, you said nothing, just stood there and accepted. Once again your buds appeared in spring, your branches bore blossoms so manifold that could I dare to hope that there would be perhaps one or two fruits being born in autumn. You did not disappoint and during the summer months your fruits started to grow until I was the proud possessor of five apples in autumn. I rewarded you for your efforts and gave food into the earth to let your strength be replenished.

Then the second year came. Your branches were growing, growing too much. Again I had to reduce their size and weight, but you did not withhold your rewards. After two years in your safe little corner of the garden I had my first harvest of apples. More than one hundred were counted, each one juicy and sweet as if you had thanked me for taking care of you.

Today you have spent ten years with me. Your bark has become scarred, somewhat blemished, but stronger and thicker and able to carry apples in abundance. The bees find their way easily to your quiet corner of the garden and your rewards arrive regularly every autumn, the apples appearing from each fertilised blossom. Thank you my apple tree.

The Night before the Swiss Christmas

I wasn't really going to write anything this evening, but somehow out of not knowing what to do I am here. It is the 23rd December and for the Swiss the last day before Christmas. In Switzerland we celebrate on the evening of the 24th December. The custom is that the tree is then put up and decorated. The children have to go in another room and the parents decorate the tree. The children are then called and to see the decorated tree with the presents and are to believe that some mysterious person came and decorated it for them, known as the "Chriskindli" (baby Jesus loosely translated) which is the Swiss custom, The children should then do something under the tree, sing a Christmas carol, play something on an instrument or perhaps say a poem. When my kids were younger and all four were at home it was quite a concert until they were all finished. They then were allowed to open their presents. Somewhere in between all this a meal is served. There is no real rule about what to serve. It is not such a custom to make a turkey at Christmas in Switzerland and I usually buy a good piece of meat from the butchers with veg and the trimmings.

Our small village of Feldbrunnen has been decorated with Christmas lights since the beginning of December and they will remain until the first week of January. Our local town of Solothurn also has their Christmas decorations and this year they invested a bit more and put some new lights up across the streets.

I had my last working day today for this year. The shops are open tomorrow until some time in the afternoon and afterwards in the evening everyone will be celebrating. Of course Christmas day and Boxing day are also being celebrated. Usually visits are made to members of the family where invitations are made to lunch etc. We will be celebrating tomorrow evening together, but as our family has no small children any more everyone will be doing their own thing probably. For me and my other half it is just a nice time at the end of the year to relax and take it easy.

So on this note I would just like to wish everyone a happy Christmas from Switzerland.

The Bathroom Addiction starring Tabby the Cat

Since I was a kitten one of my favourite places to visit, away from the prying eyes of the the humans, was the bathroom. When I was a kitten my twin sister Nera would accompany me. We could lay for hours in a sink until a human decided to clean its teeth or have a wash. Funny things humans, we cats don't need running water to do such things; a quick lick always does the trick. Anyhow here is one of my baby photos with my long black furred sister Nera. Even her fur was a bit shorter in those days.

As time passed Nera became wider and heavier. I managed to keep my slim line, but we gave up sitting in sinks as they got too small for the both of us. Now bathrooms are very nice places for having a sleep. They are usually protected from all sides to avoid attacks from any enemies, although the only enemies here are really the humans. They mean it well, but there is nothing worse than settling down for a comfortable sleep and a human decides to have a long lick with something called a shower. That means water everywhere in the bathroom and as we all know, cats are allergic to water being splashed all over the place. Here is one of the photos from my family album taken on a quiet day on the bathroom carpet. No showering being done, no cleaning teeth, just a nice warm place to have a few hours sleep. The best time is in the afternoon. It seems that the humans like to have their shower licks in the mornings.

If the bathroom has floor heating, then even more reason to take a cat nap, especially in Winter. There again it can be that the humans get in the way, but I just ignore them. Sometimes Mrs. Human thinks I look sweet and gives me a tummy tickle while I lay there. Now that is really pure Nirvana for a cat. I then drift off into another world. So, where was I? Ah, yes in the bathroom. Now many years have past since the first photo from my family album and Nera has really got too wide for sleeping in the sink. Well, actually she is now a bit on the heavyweight side, but does not like to hear that. In any case this morning I thought I would try the sink out again. It has been almost six years, but I found the sink is still comfortable and I still have enough room.

I was pondering about a nice quiet hour in the sink when I realised my mistake. It was morning and the humans had not yet had their morning shower lick. They even clean their teeth at the sink. Strange habits they have, we cats would never think about cleaning our teeth, just not necessary. Anyhow, something very degrading happened. There I was minding my own business, having a few feline thoughts and Mrs. Human appeared with the camera. Not that I mind cameras, but prefer to be warned so that I can have a photo done with my complete cat dignity. She likes to experiment with photography now and again. So what did she do. She put the camera on the sink and did a portrait of me.

Now this is really not me from my best side and I am sure Mrs. Human would not be happy if I started taking photos of her in the bath, but what can you do as a cat. You are just delivered to the whims of the species from a race lower in the scale. Anyhow, I am now back in the bathroom having a few hours of meditation and Nirvana. It is evening and the humans tend to look at their television during the evening, so everything is safe.